Festival of Early Stage Researchers (FESR) 2026

As part of UCL’s bicentenary UCL 200, and aligned with our international interdisciplinary conference, the Festival of Early Stage Researchers (FESR) 2026 brings together Early Career Researchers (ECRs) to celebrate achievements, spark new collaborations, and champion how interdisciplinary thinking shapes the future of research, advancing UCL’s legacy of bold, society shaping ‑innovation.

This inspiring one-day festival creates space for you to:

• Celebrate the innovation and impact ECR's bring to UCL's research enviroment and beyond
• Engage in conversations that challenge assumptions and inspire new ideas
• Share experiences across departments and disciplines
• Build supportive, cross university research networks

Theme: Interdisciplinarity
This year FESR will dive into the power of interdisciplinarity. We will showcase researchers who are crossing boundaries, blending methods, and redefining how complex problems are explored in multidisciplinary research. Working with faculties, the Grand Challenges team, the Academic Careers Office, and others, we aim to make FESR a catalyst for embedding interdisciplinary thinking across UCL.

Join ECRs from across UCL and beyond for a lively, collaborative day designed to spark ideas and build confidence. Expect an energising mix of talk panels, hands on workshops, a thought provoking keynote, and a buzzing marketplace showcasing support for interdisciplinary research. It’s your chance to meet new collaborators, explore fresh perspectives, and discover how interdisciplinary approaches can take your work in exciting directions and strengthen your personal and professional skill set.

Whether you want to connect, learn, be inspired, or celebrate the ECR community, FESR 2026 is your space. We can’t wait to welcome you.

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Embrace the challenge. That is where growth begins.

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If you are interested in this, you may also be interested in

• A dedicated mentoring and coaching pilot offer
• Grand Challenge International Interdisciplinary Conference
• Practitioner workshop -sign up here

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Host or Publisher UCL Academic and Researcher Experience